Two years ago, Chicago rapper G Herbo, whose birth name is Herbert Wright III, and five members of his entourage were implicated in a 14-count indictment on federal charges, which included wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
The indictment, filed by the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Massachusetts, back in October, alleged that Wright, along with his co-defendants Joseph Williams, Steven Hayes Jr., Demario Sorrells, and Terrence Bender, had engaged in the theft of credit card information. They allegedly utilized fake IDs, driver’s licenses, and email accounts to make extravagant purchases over the past couple of years. These purchases involved flying in private jets, renting exotic cars, taking a vacation at a villa in Jamaica in 2017, and acquiring two designer puppies.
Wright’s manager/promoter, Antonio “T-Glo” Strong, was also named in the indictment as ringleader of the operation and was charged with wire fraud. Strong turned himself into authorities on Sept. 25, 2020 and “appeared for a removal hearing before U.S. District Judge Robert Dow, who ordered him brought to Massachusetts in the custody of the U.S. Marshals to face the charges there,” the Chicago Tribune previously reported.
On Wednesday, July 19, Wright pleaded guilty to the wire fraud charge and was directed to appear in a Massachusetts court, where the terms of the plea agreement filed by prosecutors was discussed, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“The proceeds from these fraudulent activities were used by Wright to travel to various concert venues and to boost his career by sharing photographs and/or videos of himself on private jets, exotic cars, and at the Jamaican villa,” the plea agreement states. “Furthermore, Wright assisted Strong in obtaining designer puppies from a business by falsely claiming to be the actual purchaser of the puppies and concealing Strong’s true identity from the business.”
The wire fraud count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years; however, based on federal sentencing guidelines, Herbo will likely face a sentence ranging from two to three years. He has also been ordered to pay $140,000 to several alleged victims of the fraud, including $10,458 to Woof Woof Puppies in Michigan, according to the terms of the plea agreement.
A plea hearing has tentatively been scheduled for July 27 before U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni.
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